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Pat McAfee calls out ESPN, YouTube TV for ongoing carriage dispute: 'We're all done with it'

by: Alex Byington3 hours ago_AlexByington
Pat McAfee
Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports

YouTube TV customers are now entering Week 2 without being able to watch their favorite live sports — including both big-time college football and the NFL’s Monday Night Football — on ABC and ESPN channels amid an ongoing and bitter carriage between Disney and Google’s popular streaming service. All Disney-owned TV channels have been blacked out on YouTube TV since midnight ET last Thursday.

And, after several days of major ESPN personalities — from Scott Van Pelt and Mike Greenberg to Kirk Herbstreit and Laura Rutledge — participating in a coordinated social media campaign aimed at convincing angry viewers to direct their ire at YouTube TV, at least one major player is fed up with the entire situation and is calling on both companies to reach a settlement.

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During Tuesday’s The Pat McAfee Show, which is simulcast on both ESPN and YouTube, popular sports personality and ESPN College GameDay analyst Pat McAfee unleashed a lengthy rant about the ongoing carriage dispute, and in the process called out his ESPN colleagues for their social media campaign.

“We’re all done with it, OK? We’re all done with it. And also, if you’re on TV, stop telling people to go to a website to save a multi-billion dollar deal. OK? Nobody cares what you have to say,” McAfee said Tuesday on his show. “There will be nothing that we say or a website that needs to be visited that’ll get this thing (resolved). There are, I don’t want to say the exact names, but these people (need to come together). Let’s put our swords down. Let’s put our swords down for the good of sports. … (They) need each other, especially where sports are right now. And we’re right in the middle of it.

“So let’s get it done. … And stop asking me to go to a website. I don’t want to do that. … All you’re doing is pissing everybody off even more.”

Of course, ESPN isn’t alone in its pressure campaign.

SEC encourages fans to take action amid YouTube TV, ESPN blackout

Last week, the SEC — which signed a lucrative $808 million, 10-year media rights deal with ESPN in 2024 to televise its college football games on ABC and ESPN through 2034 — took a clear side in the ongoing carriage dispute by telling its diehard fanbase to “take action” against YouTube TV in a social media post last Friday.

News of the impending carriage dispute broke last week when ESPN networks began airing ads encouraging customers to take action. The deal was due to expire Thursday night at 11:59 p.m. ET. YouTube TV has about 10 million subscribers.

In addition to ESPN and ABC, networks such as SEC Network and ACC Network are also in the crosshairs. As of 11:27 p.m. ET last Thursday, those channels – along with all other Disney networks – were not available on YouTube TV guides.

The timing of the carriage dispute comes at an important time in the calendar for ESPN. The new NBA season tipped off two weeks ago, meaning the network has more marquee events in addition to Monday Night Football, NHL games and its college football schedule.